Marble type board game apparatus

ABSTRACT

A marble game including a playing board having a plurality of parallel rows of openings through the board, and including a plurality of sets of different colored marbles. Underlying the playing board are two sets of elongated strips, each strip having a plurality of variably spaced-apart openings therethrough and being movable along the path of one of the rows of openings in the playing board. The two sets of strips are disposed at right angles with respect to each other. The players&#39;&#39; marbles are placed at random in the openings in the playing board surface, and the players take turns manipulating the movable strips in an effort to align openings in the strips with openings in the playing board, so as to cause an opponent&#39;&#39;s marble to drop through the aligned openings.

451 Jan. 9, 1973 United States Patent [191 Barlow m u mm mm Am mm LN Pm n 0m W6 Mt m mm mv 8 m 2 w E M A G D R A 0 B E ws TU ET LA R A w MA M H [75] Inventor: Gordon A. Barlow, Skokie, 111.

Primary Examiner-Delbert B. Lowe Attorney-James F. Coffee & Associates,

Chicago, Ill.

[22] Filed: March 25, 1971 ABSTRACT A marble game including a playing board having a [21] Appl. No.: 127,871

plurality of parallel rows of openings through the board, and including a plurality of sets of different U-S- CL R colored marbles Underlying the board are two [51] Int. Cl... 3/00 et of elongated strips, each strip having a plurality of [58] Field of Search......273/l R, 130, 131, 134, 135,

variably spaced-apart openings therethrough and being movable along the path of one of the rows of openings in the playing board. The two sets of strips are disposed at right angles with respect to each other.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS The players marbles are placed at random in the openings in the playing board surface, and the players take turns manipulating the movable strips in an effort 3,163,425 12/1964 Caplan.....................,.....273/l36 GB t n th t th 3,488,052 1/1970 Weisbecker............... ..........273/1 R Pemngs e S operlmgs m e playing board, so as to cause an opponent s marble to. drop through the aligned openings.

2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures MARBLE TYPE BOARD GAME APPARATUS SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed generally to a marble game apparatus, and is particularly directed to a marble type game including a playing board having a plurality of openings therethrough and a number of underlying relatively movable strips with openings therethrough, wherein the players attempt to remove opponents marbles from the board by movement of the strips.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide a novel form of marble game, wherein all of the players marbles are placed initially on the board and each player in turn attempts to remove one or more of an opponents marbles through movement of shiftable apertured pieces underlying the playing board.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of game apparatus embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the game board with parts broken away and in section, and

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of two of the movable elements in the game apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION With reference to the drawings, it will be seen that the illustrated embodiment of the present invention includes a rectangular playing board 10, preferably formed of plastic or the like and having edge portions 12 elevating the upper surface 14 of the playing board above the table or other supporting surface. The playing board is formed with a square center portion 16 including a plurality of rows of aligned openings 18. Along each of the marginal edge portions of the playing board are a series of elongated slots 20, each of which is aligned with one of the rows of openings 18 in the center of the board. In the illustrated embodiment of perforated center portion 16 of the board is defined by a vertically extending ledge 22 forming a square around the center of the board.

Underlying the top surface of the board are two sets of relatively movable strips 24 (FIGS. 2-4), each strip being preferably in the form of an elongated, flat piece of plastic having bosses or pins 28 disposed at opposite ends thereof which extend upwardly through a pair of the aligned slots at opposite sides of the board. Each strip 24 has a plurality of openings 30 therethrough of the same size as the openings 18 in the top surface 14 of the board. The number and the position of openings 30 in each strip vary, as shown in strips 240 and 24b in FIG. 4, with all strips preferably having fewer holes than the number of holes in the overlying row of openings 18 in the playing board surface 14. Each strip 24 is movable through lateral movement'of one of the pins 28 to any of a plurality of positions, indicated at the three positions 28a, 28b and 28c in FIG. 1, and the holes 30 in each strip are positioned along the strip so as to underlie one of the openings 18 in the board surface 14 when the strip is in one of its given ositions.

The strips 24 are arranged intwo se s, with one parallelly arranged set being disposed immediately below board surface 14 and the other set similarly disposed below and at degrees with respect to the first set (FIGS. 2 and 3). Consequently, in order to permit passage of a marble 40 completely through the playing board, including the underlying strips 24, an opening on the bottom-most strip must be aligned with an opening on the intermediate strip as well as an opening on the board. Since the strips 24 are preferably relatively narrow and thin, means are provided for supporting the intermediate portion of the strips. This means comprises a generally square lattice structure 42 underlying the bottom-most strips and secured to the bottom of the playing board surface by four corner posts 44. The square supporting structure 42 is generally open at the center to permit passage of the marbles therethrough, but includes narrow transverse ribs 46 (FIGS. 2 and 3) extending between opposite sides and positioned intermediate the rows of openings on the top of the board surface.

I claim:

1. A game apparatus comprising a playing board having a playing area with a plurality of parallel rows of aligned openings extending continuously through the playing area, said openings being arranged in a rectangular pattern in transverse rows disposed at generally 90 to each other; a first set of parallel strips disposed in underlying relationship to the playing area of the game board with each strip having a plurality of openings therethrough and being independently movable along the path of one of said rows of aligned openings in said board to align the openings therein with openings in the board; a second set of parallel strips disposed transversely of and in underlying relation to the first set of movable strips with each of said second set of strips having a plurality of openings therein and being independently movable along the path of one of said rows of aligned openings in said board to align the openings therein with openings in said first set of strips and said board, there being one strip for each of said continuous rows across the board; each strip in each set being so formed and dimensioned as to effect opening or closing of less than all of the openings in the corresponding row of openings upon displacement of the strip relative to said row, the game board further including a marginal area extending about the playing area with the marginal area having slots therein at the opposite ends of each row, and with each of said strips having upwardly extending pins at the opposite ends thereof projecting up wardly through said slots for manipulation of said strips by said players.

2. Game apparatus as set forth in claim 1, including a plurality of marbles in sets of different colors and adapted to pass through each of the openings in said board and said strips. 

1. A game apparatus comprising a playing board having a playing area with a plurality of parallel rows of aligned openings extending continuously through the playing area, said openings being arranged in a rectangular pattern in transverse rows disposed at generally 90* to each other; a first set of parallel strips disposed in underlying relationship to the playing area of the game board with each strip having a plurality of openings therethrough and being independently movable along the path of one of said rows of aligned openings in said board to align the openings therein with openings in the board; a second set of parallel strips disposed transversely of and in underlying relation to the first set of movable strips with each of said second set of strips having a plurality of openings therein and being independently movable along the path of one of said rows of aligned openings in said board to align the openings therein with openings in said first set of strips and said board, there being one strip for each of said continuous rows across the board; each strip in each set being so formed and dimensioned as to effect opening or closing of less than all of the openings in the corresponding row of openings upon displacement of the strip relative to said row, the game board further including a marginal area extending about the playing area with the marginal area having slots therein at the opposite ends of each row, and with each of said strips having upwardly extending pins at the opposite ends thereof projecting upwardly through said slots for manipulation of said strips by said players.
 2. Game apparatus as set forth in claim 1, including a plurality of marbles in sets of different colors and adapted to pass through each of the openings in said board and said strips. 